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Suboxone Withdrawal
I have been on Suboxone 16mg a day for 4 weeks and I am ready to get off. Will I have withdrawal symptoms if I quit cold turkey?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I would be reluctant to go off any opiate while on interferon therapy; the risk of depression from the interferon is quite high, and the opiate withdrawal could precipitate a very serious depression that requires stopping treatment for the hep C.
There are a number of reasons people have trouble stopping Suboxone; the biggest reason is because it is hard to stop ANY opiate, including Suboxone. People who have more w'd than they think is appropriate when stopping Suboxone forget, or don't know, what opiate withdrawal is like; it is well known that methadone withdrawal, for example, goes on for months and months. Heroin withdrawal tends to be shorter and more intense; the phrase 'kicking the habit' comes from the involuntary muscle movements during heroin withdrawal. In my experience, and I have seen many people in withdrawal, people coming of Suboxone go to work and do the shopping and complain that they are at death's door; people coming off agonists are in bed, often for weeks. They don't go to work, they don't go to the grocery store, and they don't eat. And they don't have the energy to complain about how sick they feel. I say this because you will be told that the w/d from Suboxone is 'worse than coming off other opiates'; in animal studies and in blinded human studies it is clear-- buprenorphine withdrawal is much milder than w/d from agonists. But it CAN be quite uncomfortable, and last for weeks.
Other reasons for trouble tapering off Suboxone: buprenorphine has a potency akin to that of fentanyl. A dose of 5-10 MICROGRAMS is a potent analgesic. A quarter of one tablet of Suboxone contains 2 mg of buprenorphine, or 2000 MICROGRAMS!! So any dose of Suboxone is 'overkill'-- even a sliver of a tablet contains an amount of buprenorphine that is quite high, and possibly over the 'ceiling dose'. Stopping 16 mg Suboxone is like abruptly stopping 30 mg of methadone... and stopping 2 mg of Suboxone is like stopping 30 mg of methadone!
On my blog I have a few posts about the taper process; you want to ideally taper 2000 micrograms, 1800 micrograms, etc... changing each week. Search on Suboxone Talk Zone for 'micrograms' and you will find it-- the blog is down now but will be back up tomorrow.
There are a number of reasons people have trouble stopping Suboxone; the biggest reason is because it is hard to stop ANY opiate, including Suboxone. People who have more w'd than they think is appropriate when stopping Suboxone forget, or don't know, what opiate withdrawal is like; it is well known that methadone withdrawal, for example, goes on for months and months. Heroin withdrawal tends to be shorter and more intense; the phrase 'kicking the habit' comes from the involuntary muscle movements during heroin withdrawal. In my experience, and I have seen many people in withdrawal, people coming of Suboxone go to work and do the shopping and complain that they are at death's door; people coming off agonists are in bed, often for weeks. They don't go to work, they don't go to the grocery store, and they don't eat. And they don't have the energy to complain about how sick they feel. I say this because you will be told that the w/d from Suboxone is 'worse than coming off other opiates'; in animal studies and in blinded human studies it is clear-- buprenorphine withdrawal is much milder than w/d from agonists. But it CAN be quite uncomfortable, and last for weeks.
Other reasons for trouble tapering off Suboxone: buprenorphine has a potency akin to that of fentanyl. A dose of 5-10 MICROGRAMS is a potent analgesic. A quarter of one tablet of Suboxone contains 2 mg of buprenorphine, or 2000 MICROGRAMS!! So any dose of Suboxone is 'overkill'-- even a sliver of a tablet contains an amount of buprenorphine that is quite high, and possibly over the 'ceiling dose'. Stopping 16 mg Suboxone is like abruptly stopping 30 mg of methadone... and stopping 2 mg of Suboxone is like stopping 30 mg of methadone!
On my blog I have a few posts about the taper process; you want to ideally taper 2000 micrograms, 1800 micrograms, etc... changing each week. Search on Suboxone Talk Zone for 'micrograms' and you will find it-- the blog is down now but will be back up tomorrow.
What was your drug of choice before the sub and how long were you on it? You will most likely have some sort of withdrawals if you stop the sub cold turkey.
A related discussion, when do i feel better was started.
A related discussion, suboxen withdrawal was started.
My drug of choice was Lortab 10. I was using anywhere from 5-10 a day. I found that I could not stop so I went to an addiction specialist who placed me on suboxone. I have made so much progress in the last 3 1/2 weeks and I think I am ready to come off. My biggest help has been prayer/meditation and meetings everyday of the week.
25 yrs heroin ,sober 4 1/2 yrs took 2 years to wean from two 8mg perday to my now 1/2 a day . now on interferon treatment fof hep c .
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